Mushkegowuk Chiefs united in support for Kashechewan, urging federal and provincial governments to help
Kashechewan First Nation has been challenged in its efforts to evacuate the community since declaring a state of emergency due to a major failure of its water treatment and wastewater infrastructure on Jan. 4.
Of approximately 2,300 on-reserve residents, only about 200 have been moved so far. Kashechewan leadership has asked the federal government to help by providing Canadian military aircraft but so far that request has fallen on deaf ears.
In a united response to this emergency, the Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs passed a motion at a special meeting held Sunday, demanding that the governments of Canada and Ontario “immediately provide resources and logistical support to expedite evacuation and ensure the safety and health of affected residents” in Kashechewan.
The Chiefs stated that, “All emergency measures possible need to be undertaken, including securing adequate aircraft (including military transport) and utilizing all available routes, including winter roads, to ensure timely evacuation.”
The Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs is also calling on the federal and provincial government to “commit to sustainable long-term solutions for water treatment and wastewater infrastructure in Kashechewan and other coastal communities, recognising the repeated failures and delays that have led to this humanitarian crisis.”
Spurred by a further motion by Mushkegowuk Council, other measures being taken:
- Each Mushkegowuk First Nation will use whatever tools they have available to motivate government action to respond to this crisis, including writing letters and passing support band council resolutions as appropriate;
- Each Coastal community will assess the feasibility of hosting Kashechewan members in their communities;
- The Mushkegowuk Grand Chief and Northern Deputy Grand Chief will support the Chief and Council of Kashechewan in any way possible, including advocating for more aircraft to be used for the evacuation;
- The Chief Executive Officer of Mushkegowuk Council will work with the relevant Mushkegowuk staff to identify what further supports can be provided to Kashechewan; and
- Mushkegowuk Council will develop a strategy to document chronic and on-going infrastructure issues facing Mushkegowuk First Nations and approaches to addressing them.
Mushkegowuk Council is a regional organization that represents the collective interests of the Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Chapleau Cree, Missanabie Cree, Moose Cree, Taykwa Tagamou and Attawapiskat First Nations in northeastern Ontario.
For media inquiries, contact:
Ron Grech
Communications, Mushkegowuk Lands & Resources
rongrech@mushkegowuk.ca
705-365-8308
